Want to learn how to grow herbs? Find out at a gardening program March 8 at the East Baton Rouge Parish Jones Creek Regional Branch Library.

Advocate staff report

Mar 1, 2018 - 6:00 pm

Get your green thumbs ready. Spring is on the way and several events are coming up that will help you prepare.

On Thursday, March 8, culinary herbs and beneficial pollinators take the spotlight when the East Baton Rouge Master Gardener Association Library Series of gardening talks returns to the East Baton Rouge Parish Jones Creek Regional Branch Library, 6222 Jones Creek Road.

The talks, which run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., are free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

Master gardener Nancy Jurasinski opens the evening with “Beyond Basil: Year-Round Culinary Herbs.” Jurasinski will explain the difference between herbs and spices and review a wide range of herbs that can be grown successfully in Louisiana.

“Some herbs have been grown for generations and are essential to the recipes that pass down through families,” Jurasinski says. “Others are less familiar and are suddenly popular because they’re featured in new cuisines. Some have medicinal benefits or wonderful fragrances.”

The presentation will cover tips for preserving herbs, and sample recipes will be distributed.

In the evening’s second talk, “Beneficial Pollinators in Your Garden,” Ken Bosso explores the wealth of butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects that play a pivotal role in the life cycle of plants and trees. The presentation will explain the symbiotic relationship between pollinators and the plant life they support.

The talk includes tips for attracting and sustaining pollinators, organic alternatives to pesticides that kill beneficial insects and advice to instill in youngsters a love of nature.

At 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, talks will be on “Daylilies” and “Growing Spring Vegetables.” The sessions will be held at the East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, 7711 Goodwood Blvd.

Master gardener Claire Fontenot will focus on the wide variety of daylilies, which are available in all colors, heights and flower forms. Master gardener Don Moore will review important considerations before starting a spring garden and offer work-saving tips that also enhance a garden’s productivity.

Saturday, March 24, is the date of the 21st annual Master Gardener Association Plant Sale, which runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens, 4560 Essen Lane.

For additional information on the 2018 East Baton Rouge Master Gardener Library Series or the association’s other outreach activities, visit ebrmg.com.